August 2 Bedoin to Die 128 K

Today was a fabulous day of cycling, transitioning from the southern Alps to the northern Alps, from Provence to the High Alps. My first lavender fields were sighted and photographed. And I met a wonderful family from Grenoble that I shared lunchtime with at the top of the Col de Edy. Hello to Thomas and Clare and their two beutiful children. We had a fun conversation, thanks to Thomas speaking very good English. He is a cyclist and we talked about all the famous TDF climbs and much more. I also climbed the Col de ????. It was another scorching hot today so I took an ice cream break in La Motte ??? at an internet cafe I didn't use the internet. Crazy, they want from $7 to $13 an hour for internet in this region. I made it to Die (pronounced Dee) in time for a grocery store stop. The campsite was nearby.

August 3 Die to Bourg D Oisans

Wow, another INCREDIBLE day of cycling. What can I say, I'm blessed to be a cyclist biking through this fabulously beautiful terrain. I decided to bike directly to Le Bourg D'Oisans and the L'Alp D'Huez. Tomorrow, on my rest day, I would climb THE ALP. The Alp made famous most recently by Lance Armstrong when he Time-trialed from the bottom to the top in 39 minutes. That is about 9 miles UP at just under 15 Mph. Simply amazing! I started the day climbing the Col de Menne and finished descending the Col d'Ornon. Two Cols, two beautiful experiences. Climbing Col de Menne was 21K at 5% or easier at times, but the terrain had turned to Pine trees and it was like riding uphill in front of a big air conditioner vent. Spectacular. Later in the day the climb up the Col d'Ornon was especially beautiful with really cool villages. But what made the day special was the astounding descent off the Col d'Ornon. 12K of indescribable cycling glory. Hey, all my cycling friends, plan a group trip to Le Bourg D'Oisans, and I'll show you the sights.

August 4 L Alp D Huez 30 K